Mates
by AlyDarkAngelYanna
Summary: Just a simple story about love and what it can bring to people who are in pain. AU, alive Minato, KakaxNaruxIta


**Just another bunny in my head.**

* * *

"Ohayou 'Tachi!" the raven haired heir to the Uchiha clan sighed deeply as his lap was suddenly filled with a bubbly blonde. He'd been sitting on a bench in Konoha park, lamenting the loss of his wanted company when the Fourth Hokage's daughter suddenly appeared.

"Ohayou Natsu-chan," he greeted solemnly even as said young woman wrapped her arms around his neck and settled her head on his chest.

"Mou, you could greet me with more enthusiasm, Itachi-teme." she pouted at the older boy.

"Gomen ne Natsu-chan," he kissed the top of her blonde locks in apology then sighed once again.

"You really miss him, don't you?" she asked quietly knowing how much he preferred his private life. Itachi's arms stiffened around her and she scoffed. "I'm not stupid 'Tachi. I could see the way you two looked at each other, even when you thought I couldn't."

"Since when?"

"Since when have I known?" she clarified and he nodded stiffly in response. "Since before our last mission together outside." she finally admitted.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Itachi asked. The last mission they had had outside of the village had been six months ago and if she had known before then that probably meant she'd been with them from the very start.

"I guess I was hoping you guys would tell me on your own."

"I~"

"It's okay 'Tachi, I know why you didn't say anything."

"Gomen."

"Don't apologize baka," she smiled brightly at the raven holding her. "I'm happy for you. Besides, I did get tired of waiting for either one of you to break. The sexual tension was becoming unbearable." she suddenly hopped from his lap and he looked at her in confusion. "So 'Tachi, how is it being uke?" she flashed him a grin especially when he flushed so beautifully red from his hairline to his neck.

"Natsu!" he growled in embarrassment.

"Catch me if you can 'Tachi!" she sprinted away from the fuming man, Itachi right at her heels. Natsu laughed to herself, she just couldn't take it when one of her best friends were depressed.

XoxoxoX

"Good work Kakashi." Minato Namikaze, Fourth Hokage of Konoha no Sato nodded at his former student. "You can get your pay downstairs and you have the next two weeks off."

"Two weeks?" he raised an eyebrow at the long vacation time he was being given.

"You've been gone for three months. You deserve it."

"Arigato sensei."

"Hai, hai. You may go." Minato watched the young ANBU in front of him and almost smiled to himself. Kakashi had grown to be a good man, especially after the loss of his two original teammates. Itachi and Natsu's influence on him had been good enough to get him out of his rut. After the deaths of both Obito and Rin, Kakashi had gone into a depression that no one could bring him out of until Itachi was assigned to his ANBU squad. His musings were broken off by the slamming of his office door.

"Ohayou tou-chan!" the bright smile of his daughter seemed to light up the room as she ran towards him. "Kashi! You're back!" just as she said that another darker presence followed her and he slammed the door close behind him. Itachi's Sharingan eyes swirled as he glared at his blonde friend.

"Maa maa, what's going on here?" was all Kakashi could say before Itachi tried to pounce on the blonde ball of energy.

"Stay still Natsu!"

"No!" and she stuck out her tongue at the raven then pulled on Kakashi's hand. "Come on Kaka-baka, you owe me some ramen!" she dragged the older man and jumped through the window with Itachi following them soon after. Minato could do nothing but shake his head at the trio's antics.

"At ease," even after years of being in his personal protection detail, the ANBU hidden in the walls of his office still tensed at the sight of those three. He could see the path they took to Ichiraku's, the dust cloud behind them unmistakable, and he smiled. He hoped they wouldn't change.

XoxoxoX

Kakashi sighed to himself thinking how he'd gotten into this mess. On his right sat Natsu, the blonde was inhaling bowl after bowl of her favorite food while Itachi sat on his other side. The raven looked indifferent but only he - and probably Natsu - could see the barely there upturn of his lips which signified his happiness at their team being complete yet again. It's been six years since they were assigned to the same ANBU squad, he had been the captain at sixteen when rookie ANBU Itachi was assigned to him. The younger man had been eleven at the time and he was a definite prodigy. A mere six months later and they lost two of their members due to a mission leading the two young men back to a depression. They were then assigned another member and Kakashi could only smile as he remembered that day.

" _Inu!"_

 _"Hai Hokage-sama."_

" _I am assigning a new member to your squad." Minato told the seventeen year old ANBU captain. "You and Okami have been having a great record since you lost your teammates but I think it's time you had a new member."_

" _We don't need a new member." Okami murmured. "We don't want a new member." Minato just smirked at the younger man. Despite his maturity and skill, his true age still showed sometimes. There was a knock on the door before he could say anything._

" _Come in."_

" _You called for me Hokage-sama?" in came someone dressed in the same ANBU uniform. They were around the same height as Okami but more slender leading Kakashi to think that it was a girl._

" _Kitsune, remove your mask and introduce yourself. I want you to meet your new teammates."_

" _I don't want a new team!" the change in the ANBU's attitude had Kakashi gaping behind his own mask._ _ **Was she really whining?**_ _"I want to go solo tou-chan!"_

 _ **Tou-chan?**_ _Both Kakashi and Okami thought at the same time. The newcomer finally removed their mask to reveal a face he'd never thought he would see again._

" _Natsu?" Kakashi breathed before he could stop himself. He removed his own mask to reveal his face to the younger girl._

" _Kashi?" she echoed his surprise but a bright smile split her lips and lit up the room. "You're going to be my new captain?"_

" _Apparently."_

" _Who's the other guy?"_

" _Remove your mask Okami." Minato ordered and the young man did._

" _Natsu Suki Uzumaki-Namikaze," she thrust her hand out to the raven haired young man._

" _Itachi Uchiha," he raised an eyebrow at the outstretched hand but she didn't seem fazed by the lack of attention towards it._

" _Kakashi Hatake, Itachi Uchiha and Natsu Namikaze, from now on you are Team Inu. You will receive your first mission in two days. In the mean time get to know each other. Dismissed."_

Itachi had hated Natsu because of her uncanny ability to know when something was wrong. He also didn't like the fact that she would disregard most rules of being a shinobi and yet she proved herself to be a capable kunoichi time and time again. He and Kakashi had been strict on following the shinobi rules to the letter when they had worked together for six months and adding another person to their team, one who apparently didn't care about what other people said, had shifted the dynamic of their teamwork. There were missions wherein either one or both of the young men would be in such deep trouble it would've been easier to just leave them behind and finish the mission but Natsu refused. She would concoct a plan that would be so outrageous it was almost impossible to pull off and yet they would be able to save their captured teammate. It took three extremely difficult missions wherein either the Uchiha or Hatake were captured before Natsu blew up and finally kicked their asses into gear. Itachi had gaped at the girl who was two years younger than him and yet she had wiped the floor with both him and their captain. He developed a healthy amount of respect for the lone kunoichi in their group until it turned to the close sort of friendship they now had with each other. Since then, their teamwork had been flawless, their ANBU squad became legendary and no other member had been brought into the group.

"How was your mission Kashi?" his gravity defying hair bounced as he turned to look at his lover.

"Maa, it was fine."

"You were gone for a while," Itachi's cheeks were suffused with the slightest shade of pink and he looked adorable in his eyes. The eighteen year old young man refused to make eye contact with him and instead gazed intently at his chopsticks.

"It took longer than expected." he murmured softly aware of the message behind the words of his younger lover. The snickering on his other side was his only warning before the puff of chakra and the displacement of air had sent him back to his apartment with Itachi. "Huh?" was all he could get out as he watched Itachi take a note from his vest and groan.

 _Kami, you two are too adorable. I had to get you out before Ayame-neechan began to swoon. Enjoy!_

Kakashi took the note from Itachi and smiled under his mask.

"She finally told you she knew?" he asked the raven who was looking at him curiously.

"You knew?"

"I suspected." he pulled the younger man towards him by the waistband of his pants. "She's Minato-sensei's daughter of course she would notice something was going on between us." he pulled his mask down and kissed his lover softly. It was a simple showcase of love and longing, a reassurance that he was indeed back in Itachi's arms safe and sound.

"Go take a shower." Itachi told him when they finally pulled back. "I'll wait for you here."

XoxoxoX

"Konichiwa Iruka-sensei!" Natsu greeted the scarred chunnin brightly.

"Konichiwa Natsu-chan!"

"Is Sasuke-chan still here?"

"Where's aniki?" without giving his teacher time to reply the younger Uchiha made his presence known. "Is he on a mission?"

"He and Kakashi are busy tonight so you're coming home with me. See you later Iruka-sensei!" Sasuke just shrugged and followed the blonde out of the academy. It had been a common occurrence for him to stay over at the Namikaze's whenever his aniki was otherwise occupied since the failed Uchiha uprising five years ago. Sasuke had been six years old when his father, Fugaku Uchiha, decided that he wanted the Uchiha clan to be the strongest clan of Konoha. Itachi had been part of the planning but was actually a double spy while Sasuke had overheard what was happening. He'd been raised by his elder brother and as such, his loyalty lay within Konoha and not the Uchiha clan. The brothers' information had then been brought to the Hokage and the perpetrators were arrested, interrogated and executed before they could act on their plan. What was left of the Uchiha had been tested by the Yamanaka clan in hope of saving them but all of them had already been brainwashed by Fugaku. They were all executed for treason leaving only two Uchiha in Konoha. "Do you need any help with your homework Sasu-chan," Sasuke grimaced at the nickname but nodded.

"Iruka-sensei was trying to explain this problem today but I don't really get it."

"Okay, why don't you go into the living room and get your things out. I'll just prepare snacks for us."

"Hn." he nodded and went to the familiar living room. He settled on the couch, his backpack on the floor as he took out everything he would need for the assignment he needed help with and let his thoughts wander. Natsu-chan was a really nice person and she'd been on a team with his brother since he was a baby. She used to babysit Sasuke, she still did actually, and she told him the craziest stories. He actually had a little crush on her when he was younger, often fighting Kakashi-san and Itachi-nii for her attention but she would just laugh at his cuteness and kiss his cheek which would in turn make him blush and lead her teammates to tease him again. One time, he could remember declaring he would marry her when he was strong enough to do so and they all just laughed at him. He was four years old that time. Then two years later, ANBU Team Inu arrested the Uchiha council while the other ANBU took care of the rest of the Uchiha shinobi. He had lost his parents and his cousins then and Natsu-chan had taken his mother's place in his heart.

"Ne Sasuke-kun, what are you thinking about?" he startled at the sound of her voice and whipped his head towards her. He shook his head in reply and she smiled as she settled a small plate of tomatoes and two glasses of water on the table.

"Well if you want to talk, you know I'm here right?" she sat beside him and embraced him briefly, smiling to herself when Sasuke snuggled closer to her. "Now, show me what Iruka-sensei was trying to teach you." she waited for him to move on his own, understanding clear in her voice. It was one of the things he loved about her. She never pried yet she always seemed to know when someone needed comfort. She had such a big heart it was nearly impossible not to like her. Sasuke sighed to himself and reluctantly pulled away from the hug. He took his notebook from the table and showed her the problem.

XoxoxoX

Itachi let his hands glide up the tense muscles of his beloved, smiling to himself at the unintentional groan he received. Kakashi was one of the strongest shinobi in Hi no Kuni and it gave him a sense of power to be able to reduce the Copy Ninja to a withering, moaning mass of flesh. He trailed over every scar he found, his lips following his fingers as he kneaded the knots on his lover's back. He knew it would come in handy someday, he so owed Natsu for teaching him how to do this.

"I can hear the cogs in your head turning." Kakashi grumbled through his pillow. "What are you thinking about?"

"Natsu."

"Hmm. What about her?"

"She's turning sixteen soon. What do we get her?"

"She's happy with spending time with us 'Tachi," the hands on his back had stopped moving and so Kakashi rolled over and pulled his lover on top of his larger frame.

"I know but I want to get something for her. I feel awful that we didn't trust her with our relationship."

"Was there something in particular you wanted to get for her?" he asked, kissing the top of raven locks and running his larger hand up and down the smaller male's back.

"I don't really know. But I'm worried about her."

"Why?" Itachi snuggled closer to Kakashi's chest before he spoke. He relished in the feel of his lover's arm around him and almost forgot to answer the question.

"She's going into heat soon because of the Kyuubi. She will attract a lot of attention during that time."

"Kushina-chan said she'd gotten to know Minato-sensei before her heat came that's why the effects weren't as bad." they both fell into silence as a sign of respect for Natsu's mother who had sacrificed herself to seal the Kyuubi into her own daughter before it was too late. Her seal-making had been exemplary but she had perished due to chakra and blood loss, after all she had just given birth then. Her ability to seal the strongest of the bijuu even after such a physically traumatic event had put her onto the list of the strongest shinobi Konoha had ever had.

"That's it but she hasn't shown any interest in any of the others, either shinobi or kunoichi, and I'm worried about what it would do to her."

"Ne 'Tachi, Natsu is a strong kunoichi. She will be fine."

"What if her mate turns out to be one of us?" Itachi asked, pulling away so he could look at Kakashi's mismatched eyes.

"You think it would be one of us?"

"It's a possibility. We're the only two people who have gotten close to her besides Sasuke and I doubt the Kyuubi would take him for a mate."

"Why don't we think about it when it happens?" Kakashi suggested though the stirring in his loins said otherwise. He pulled Itachi close for another soft kiss then let him get settled on his chest once more.

"Good night 'Kashi."

"Night."

XoxoxoX

Kakashi was bored. It had been three days since he'd gotten back to the village and he was already jittery. He'd tried to relax in his apartment but quickly grew tired of seeing the four walls of his bedroom, then he'd tried to go to the hot springs to relax but it turned out to be mixed bathing day so he decided not to go in fear of being assaulted by Konoha's many females, he'd already won four challenges against Gai in the past two days and he couldn't find his teammates anywhere. Even his beloved Icha Icha couldn't hold his attention for long.

"Kakashi-san!" he stopped at the sound of his name and turned a lazy eye towards the young boy running towards him.

"Did you need something Sasuke-chan?" the youngest Uchiha grimaced at the nickname before speaking.

"Ano, Natsu-chan said she needed your help."

"With what? And why didn't she come see me herself?"

"She's kind of stuck."

"Where?"

"At the Namikaze mansion." Kakashi didn't waste anymore time, he put his hand on Sasuke's shoulder and shunshined to his former sensei's home. They landed in the kitchen where Natsu was standing precariously on top of a ladder with boxes in her hands.

"Kit, what are you doing?" he sighed in exasperation at the young woman who was balancing on the ladder by the tips of her toes.

"Ah! Kashi help!"

"Again, what are you doing?"

"Could you just get up here and help me? You can ask questions later."

"Hai, hai." he lowered his head in defeat then proceeded to help her. Just as he got underneath the ladder to help her out, she teetered over the edge and he just barely caught her.

"Surprise!" he briefly wondered why there weren't any boxes falling all around them but his attention was caught by the assembly of almost all jounin-level to ANBU shinobi in Konoha. Standing just behind the table where a cake had been prepared was his missing lover who looked quite put out to everyone else but to him and Natsu.

"Happy Birthday Kaka-baka." Natsu kissed his cheek as she jumped out of his arms and he looked up to find that the boxes had somehow turned into a banner saying "Happy Birthday Kakashi!" which was hung up on the doorway that separated the kitchen from the dining room.

"Happy birthday Kashi-kun," Kakashi turned his attention back to the party in time to see his lover holding out a cupcake with a candle on it. Itachi's cheeks were red and he could hear Natsu laughing beside him but all he could see was the younger man who looked even more delectable than the treat he was holding.

"Arigato." he whispered as he pulled down his mask and swooped down to capture Itachi's lips in a kiss that staked his claim to all that was watching. There were catcalls and cheering in the background but all he could feel was the soft lips moving against his own.

"Alright! Break it up you two!" their boisterous friend cleared her throat from beside them and he reluctantly pulled away from his lover. "You can ravish 'Tachi later, now we gotta party." before she could leave though, Kakashi pulled her to him and also gave her an unmasked kiss. Bright blue eyes widened in surprise at the action before what seemed like all of her blood rushed to her face.

"Arigato Natsu-chan." the kiss was chaste, a simple touching of lips but the fact that he had done it without his mask on made her feel like something else was going on. Natsu looked from one man to the other in surprise, for the first time in her life speechless at what had just occurred.

"Nani? Why are you only thanking me?"

"Because 'Tachi-kun would never have been able to keep this a secret from me." Itachi blushed but let himself be pulled into the strong arms of the man he loved. "Come on, let's enjoy what you've prepared." he tugged the raven-haired young man towards the rest of the people waiting to greet him leaving Natsu on her own by the doorway.

"Ne, daijobu Natsu-neechan?"

"Hai, Sasuke-kun." she smiled at the boy with reassurance that she herself didn't feel. "Let's get you something to eat, ne?"

XoxoxoX

The party had ended hours ago but they were still there, the newer jounin who didn't really know Kakashi personally had already gone along with the younger shinobi who greeted him. Sasuke had already been put to bed by Natsu and all that was left was the Copy Ninja's closest friends. They had moved to another of the houses in the Namikaze compound where they could have their privacy during the 'adult' party. Kakashi sat on a table with Itachi beside him. He was surrounded by those who were closest to him namely Genma, Asuma, Gai and Raidou but there were also others who weren't that close to him but stayed for the music and the booze such as Anko who was well on her way to becoming too inebriated to get home.

"Are you enjoying yourself?" Kakashi heard Itachi ask and nodded before dropping a swift, masked kiss on his waiting lips. There was another whistle from Genma who was chewing on a senbon, as was his habit, and the couple pulled away.

"I never would've thought," the man trailed off at the glare sent by the Uchiha heir.

"Go on," Kakashi urged, his right eye growing darker.

"Eh heh-heh." the growing tension in the air was cut off when Natsu bounded towards them and promptly threw herself onto her teammates' laps.

"Ne Kashi, I still haven't given you my present yet," the innocence that she portrayed was one that both Itachi and Kakashi wished she would keep even as her short orange skirt rode up her thigh at the movement. It didn't matter that she was wearing shorts seeing as it was clinging to her skin. His glare intensified once he noticed Raidou eyeing her like a piece of meat and he let loose a small growl of possession that didn't escape anyone around them. "Don't worry Kashi, Raidou-chan didn't mean it." Of course she knew what was bothering him and she turned her attention to the bandana-wearing shinobi. "Did you Raidou-chan?" she glared at him but he smirked in reply. "Choose your next words carefully shinobi-kun, or I might just turn you into a kunoichi." suddenly she was gone from Kakashi and Itachi's lap and was across the table, staring into the frightened eyes of the man trying to flirt with her, a kunai pointed at his family jewels.

"I-I-I w-w-w-was j-j-just j-j-joking!" he stuttered as the petite girl leaned away from him and smiled a toothy grin.

"See Kashi?" the three of them had been a team for six years and they knew each other well enough to know when one was getting pissed and why. To keep from getting in trouble, they had come up with ways to alleviate the anger depending on the situation. Before she was in the team, Itachi and Kakashi would be hounded by fan girls and nothing they did could stop the women from chasing after them but when Natsu came, she stopped the rampaging women by either holding their hand or giving them a kiss. At first the two young men were averse to the touches but seeing as they kept the fan girls away they didn't stop her. In turn they protected Natsu from perverts like Raidou who would even look at her in the wrong way. They would usually turn a glare at the men, especially now that she had grown to be a lovely young lady, but other times when that didn't work they would wrap a hand around her and pull her close to them. Their actions resulted in making the rest of Konoha believe that they were all together. Some didn't believe it, others did. "He was just joking." Kakashi's glare had receded, his lone onyx eye sparking with mirth. Just looking at Natsu, they would often forget just how good a kunoichi she was but there was something that would happen that would remind them and more often than not it was a painful reminder. "Now I was just going to give you my present." she hopped back onto his lap, this time straddling the man making eyebrows raise all round while Itachi just shook his head at her antics.

"Kit, what are you doing?" Kakashi asked when she began to raise his headband so that it was not hiding his left eye. Though he was acting aloof, he was chanting in his head in order to prevent his member from reacting to her not-so-innocent position on his lap. He could almost feel the smug smirk his lover was directing at him and barely held back a groan when Natsu unintentionally ground her hips against his.

"Just keep your eye closed Kashi." the headband was finally off, Natsu handing it to Itachi who just took it from her. She traced the scar that ran across his left eye and all he could do was watch as her lips moved as if she was talking to herself. His right eye widened in shock when she suddenly bit her thumb and charged what he could feel was the Kyuubi's chakra onto her hand. Before he could stop her, Natsu had swiped the bloody finger across his left eye and he felt an agonizing pain for just a split second before it was gone. "There." she nodded, smiling to herself at what she had done.

"What did you do?" he asked while she wiped what was left of the smeared blood from his eye with a tissue he had no idea where she got.

"Open your eye."

"Natsu."

"Trust me." she smiled and because he did trust her, he did what was asked. He opened his eye only for gasps to come from his friends.

"Kakashi~"

"Oh my~"

"How did you do that?"

"Yosh! Natsu-chan's flames of youth shine brightly!"

"Gai!" Natsu snapped at the green beast who immediately blushed and quietened down. Kakashi was mildly impressed but he was too busy trying to figure out what had caused the murmurs of surprise that rippled through the crowd. "Channel some chakra to your left eye Kashi."

"You know I can't cut the chakra off Natsu." before she could reply Itachi gasped in shock. He had not seen what the others could because he was sitting beside Kakashi so he turned his lover's head toward him and looked into the mismatched eyes.

"Kit, how did you~?" he couldn't even complete the question because looking back at him were a pair of dark onyx and deep chocolate eyes, after all Obito Uchiha hadn't had the same black eyes that the rest of the Uchiha clan had. "Kashi, try channeling some chakra into your left eye." he opened his mouth to protest but the intent look on Itachi's face told him to just do as he was told. Kakashi channeled chakra onto his eye and gasped when the room suddenly became clearer. He could see everything in vivid detail as if he was looking with the Sharingan.

"Natsu~" but the young woman couldn't speak because she was in the middle of a kiss from another of her teammates. With his Sharingan activated, Kakashi knew that the image of both his younger teammates in the midst of what looked like a passionate kiss would be forever burned into his memory.

"Arigato Natsu-chan!" Itachi had apparently pulled Natsu from Kakashi's lap and settled her on his own before capturing her lips. He now pulled her to his chest and kissed the top of her golden locks.

"Ne 'Tachi, shouldn't I be the one thanking Natsu?" he drawled as he stopped the flow of chakra to his left eye. Their eyes met and Itachi's question from his first night back was answered. If either one of them turned out to be Natsu's mate, it wouldn't be a problem at all.

"Uh, we're just going to go." he could vaguely hear the words of his other friends but he paid them no mind as his gaze was till locked with his younger lover's.

"You're welcome Kashi," Natsu's sleepy voice broke through their staring contest and the silver-haired man smiled at the kunoichi when she yawned and snuggled closer to his partner.

"Let's get you home Kit." he took Natsu from Itachi and stood up then let the raven put his headband back on as he carried her bridal style. Only then did they become aware that they had been left alone with only a note on the table.

XoxoxoX

The two young men watched their youngest teammate as she slept. It took them no time at all to return to the main house and an even shorter time to bring her back to her bedroom. Itachi had slipped into what had become his brother's room while Kakashi tucked Natsu in her own bed but now they sat on the edge of her bed just watching her sleep.

"Kashi?"

"I know 'Tachi." then suddenly her eyes opened, but instead of the bright blue eyes they had come to love, they were looking back at a pair of slitted ruby orbs.

" **Hatake, Uchiha."**

"Kyuubi-san." Kakashi inclined his head as a sign of respect towards the strongest of the bijuu.

"Kyuubi," Itachi's Sharingan flared to life at the sight of the ruby eyes. He knew of his dojutsu's power against the bijuu and he was prepared to protect Natsu in any way, even from the prisoner inside of her.

" **Close your eyes Uchiha. I have no intention of harming the kit."** its words didn't do much to reassure the younger man and the fox laughed, a sinister sound that came from Natsu's lips. **"I see now why she has chosen you."** at the widened eyes, it chuckled again. **"Hai, the kit has chosen both of you as her mates."**

"Both of us?"

" **Hai. The kit is strong on her own, a true alpha female but with me sealed inside of her she is even stronger. It would take at least four average mates to help her reign in her power once she goes into heat, or in this case two incredibly strong alpha males."** silence reigned while the two digested her words. **"Natsu is already going into heat. It is a side effect of having me sealed inside of her. She will become even more affectionate with the two of you and Sasuke, she sees him as her own kit, and will be possessive. She will be easily riled up when males other than you look at her with lust and will be angry if other females try to claim you in any way."**

"Why are you telling us this?" Kakashi asked.

" **Because you need to be prepared for the changes that she would go through. Her heat is not just a sign of her fertility, it also means that our merging will start to go faster. In two years time I would cease to exist in this plane and Natsu would need both of your help in assimilating the chakra she will be getting from me. I suggest you stay away from the rest of Konoha during her heat otherwise there will be a lot of innocent people who could be hurt."**

"Why do you care?"

" **I don't but the kit does and I have no intention of staying in a depressed host. Her pheromones will start to leak out soon and you will be fending off a lot of potential suitors. If you want to avoid that, I suggest you claim her before she gets too close to her birthday because that is when her heat will be the strongest. She will be in a lot of pain if she hasn't been claimed by then. I have to go, the kit is fighting me for control. She doesn't know what will happen to her because she doesn't trust me enough to listen to me. You have to~"** Natsu groaned and blinked, red and blue battling in her eyes before crystal sapphire became permanent.

"Itai! What happened?" she held her head as she mumbled to herself. "Kashi? 'Tachi? What are you two doing there?" she asked the two who were still sitting on the edge of her bed watching her. "Come lie with me." she demanded. Both men shared a look at the sudden change in attitude. "Onegai." she held out both hands to them and pouted when they didn't move. "Ne 'Tachi, don't you like me?" Itachi sighed at the question.

"Of course I like you." he stood up and walked closer to her until he was able to sit right next to her. He leaned down and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Kashi and I will just take a shower and we'll come right back."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

"Okay." she smiled brightly at him as her cerulean orbs fluttered close.

"Come on Kashi. Before she wakes up again." Itachi held a hand out to his lover who seemed to be in deep thought. "We'll figure this out tomorrow." Kakashi finally took his hand and he led him towards the bathroom. They were tired, it was late and there was just too much information to sort through. Itachi resolved to find out everything on the next day.

XoxoxoX

Natsu awoke ensconced in warmth. She was surrounded by two hard bodies that she knew all too well. She was laying on her side facing Kakashi who had no mask on. One arm was around her while the other was under her head. He looked so peaceful in his sleep and she couldn't help but smile as she remembered his reaction to her gift the night before. The man behind her snuggled closer to her back and she gasped at the feel of a hard erection brushing against her ass. She'd woken up in such circumstances before, they often slept together especially during missions but somehow this felt different and she wasn't quite sure why. Itachi's hand suddenly moved on her stomach. It glided beneath her shirt and the long elegant fingers splayed across her soft skin leaving tingling sensations in its wake. Then Kakashi's hand also moved from its position on the small of her back towards her ass where it squeezed her cheek briefly before settling. She had no idea what was happening but she couldn't help herself from wanting more especially when both of them were shirtless underneath the blanket that they shared. One of Kakashi's legs slipped in between hers as he pulled her closer in his sleep, his hard member grinding against her core. She was hard-pressed to stifle the moans that tried to escape when Itachi's stray hand was suddenly palming her bare breast. A knock on the door had both shinobi jumping out of the bed with kunai in hand.

"Natsu-neechan, breakfast is ready." Sasuke's voice sounded through the thick wood. Itachi and Kakashi turned their attention to Natsu who was panting on her bed with her eyes clenched shut.

"Okay Sasuke-chan, I'll be right there." the boy's footsteps faded from the door and the two men were immediately on her asking if she was alright.

"I'm fine. I was just having the strangest dream." she suddenly sat up and hopped off the bed. "I just need a shower and I'll be okay." she told them both as she grabbed her towel and stepped into the bathroom. Once the door was safely closed Itachi met Kakashi's gaze.

"Shit!" Itachi raised an eyebrow at the expletive but silently agreed.

"It seems what Kyuubi said was true. Her pheromones are already leaking and its affecting the both of us."

"We need to talk to Minato-sensei about this. We can't do this here with everyone around."

"Hn."

XoxoxoX

"Neechan, are you sure you're okay?" Sasuke asked as he and Natsu walked towards the Academy.

"Yes, I'm fine Sasuke-kun. Why do you ask?"

"You're acting weirder than usual."

"Really?"

"Yeah. You keep blushing around aniki and Kakashi-san."

"Oh." _**"That's probably because they both kissed me yesterday and I have no idea why."**_ Natsu giggled nervously at the thought but turned her attention back to her charge. "Don't worry about me Sasuke-kun. I'm fine."

"Okay neechan, see you later."

"Enjoy your day Sasuke-kun!" she watched as the boy walked into the school with his hands in his pocket.

"Natsu-chan!" she smiled brightly at the sound of her boisterous friend's voice. "Wanna spar?"

"Sure Anko-chan, meet me in Training Ground 28." then she disappeared in an orange flash leaving the snake summoner to pout at her sudden disappearance. She too shunshined towards their favorite training ground and found Natsu lying in the middle of the grassy area.

"I heard you threatened to turn Raidou to a kunoichi last night." Anko said, joining her friend on the ground. "What did he do?"

"Ano, he pissed me off 'coz he was staring at my ass. Kakashi-kun didn't like it."

"So, you didn't like it because Kakashi didn't like it?"

"Nani! No, that's not what I meant!"

"Then what did you mean?"

"You know I don't like it when he does that but he never listens. He seems to forget that I was in ANBU because of my age. I just reminded him of that."

"Of course Naru-chan, if you say so." said the slightly older woman. "Now, are we going to spar or not?"

XoxoxoX

"Sensei we need to talk about Natsu." at the serious tone in his silver-haired student's voice Minato knew that this was something important. He waved away his personal guard and activated his own privacy jutsu before telling the two young men in front of him to sit across from him.

"What's wrong with Natsu?"

"She's gone into heat." it was Itachi who answered.

"How do you know?"

"The Kyuubi told us."

"You spoke to the Kyuubi?" both men nodded. "When?"

"Last night after the party. We brought Natsu back to her room and the fox was able to get a few moments of control from Natsu while she was sleeping. It was only enough to be able to speak to us, it couldn't control her body any other way." Kakashi hurriedly assured his mentor when he began to doubt the quality of his own sealing jutsu.

"What did the fox tell you?"

"It told us that Natsu has chosen both of us to be her mates."

"But, aren't you together?" they couldn't hide the surprise from their expressions at that question. As far as they knew only Natsu knew about their relationship but apparently they had been wrong. "Give me some credit Kakashi, I've known you since you were a kid. It's the same with you Itachi."

"..."

"Would this be a problem?" Minato asked the two young men sitting across from him. "Foxes mate for life, that much I know from Kushina. If what you say is true that Natsu has unconsciously chosen both of you as her mate then I would like to know if her being mated to both of you will make problems for your own relationship."

"Sensei,"

"No Kakashi, I'm asking as her father, not your hokage, not even your former sensei."

"I love Natsu." Itachi's quiet declaration shocked his older lover. "I used to think that she would be like a sister to me but that changed."

"When?" it was a legitimate question. After all, he and Kakashi had been lovers for almost a whole year, they'd been on a team with Natsu for five years before that had happened and it had only been a day since they found out that they were her mates. She didn't even know it herself.

"I'm not really sure." Itachi, loathed as he was to admit that he didn't know something about himself, just said. "Maybe it was why I didn't want to tell her about us. I didn't want her to break away from us - which inevitably would've happened if it turned out that she liked somebody else and she knew that we were already together."

"Kakashi?" Minato asked his former student.

"I love them both. Itachi and Natsu are the only reasons why I am the man that I am. Without them, I'd probably still be taking suicide missions." Kakashi too admitted.

"Do you know what's going to happen now?"

"Kyuubi said we should claim her before her birthday otherwise she'll be in pain and we wouldn't be able to control the pheromones she'll be excreting."

"It would be a blood bath." Minato inwardly shuddered as he thought of the battles that would be initiated between his three best ANBU and anyone who would try to claim Natsu for themselves. "Alright, I'm sending you on an extended mission to deal with this. Just make sure that you protect my daughter and do right by her."

"Hai!" Minato released the privacy jutsu at their assent. As the two young men stood up, he couldn't resist throwing in his final words.

"Kakashi, Itachi," they looked at him from the doorway to his office. "Don't forget why Iwa now fears us." there was a flash of fear in both their eyes that satisfied his paternal need to protect his daughter. He let the two leave then sagged into his seat. Natsu had grown so fast, soon she would be moving out and staying with her future mates. The manor would be lonely without her bright presence and he wasn't looking forward to the silence that would greet him at home. Minato Namikaze ran a frustrated hand through his golden locks and sighed. He knew it would happen eventually, he just didn't think it would be this soon. At least Natsu would be happy and well-protected. He would take comfort in that, if nothing else.

XoxoxoX

"Where are we going?" Natsu asked her teammates for the umpteenth time that day. Both Kakashi and Itachi had come to fetch her from the training grounds where she had been practicing her katas. They'd told her that they needed to leave immediately and didn't even give her the time to go home to pack, not that she needed to because she was always prepared but it would've been nice to be given the choice.

"You'll see soon." they had been traveling for half a day at a rate that would be tiring for others not of their caliber but being who they were, they were still going strong.

"I don't recognize this area," she admitted, and she would only admit it to these two people with her. Never give an enemy an advantage over you, and if you were to admit that the you knew nothing about the landscape then that could spell trouble for you. "Itachi where are we?"

"Kakashi and I are going to show you something."

"What is it?"

"We're here." the silver-haired ninja announced as he came to a stop.

"Where is here?" Natsu trailed off at the beautiful sight presented before her. They were standing in a clearing with a cabin standing next to a lake. The area was surrounded by trees and would definitely be difficult to spot if one did not know just where to look. The cabin looked to be big enough for a small family and from what she could see there were two storeys to it. "What's going on?" she finally asked once the two went inside without so much as a backward glance.

"Hokage-sama sent us on vacation." Itachi answered as he set down their bags and began to check the cupboards.

"Tou-san sent us on vacation at the same time?"

"Do you really want to question getting free time from the Hokage?" Kakashi asked.

"No, not really. I'm just surprised he'd let us leave on vacation all at the same time."

"Come on then."

"Where are we going now?"

"I packed us a picnic." Itachi was the one to answer. The three left the cabin, the raven-haired young man leading the way while Kakashi grabbed Natsu's hand and followed him. The blonde stared at their clasped hands in wonder but shrugged off the niggling feeling in the pit of her stomach that something was up. She was safe with two of the men she trusted the most and she was determined to enjoy their time off together, who knows when it will all happen again?

XoxoxoX

Natsu lay on the blanket, basking in the dying rays of the sun while her partners swam in the lake. She was only in her dark blue underwear, having just gotten out of the water, her wet golden locks fanned out behind her as she closed her eyes against the red-orange glow lighting the tips of the trees. She sighed deeply in content, a sense of peace and calm radiating from her pliant form when suddenly there was a burst of heat from somewhere inside her that made her curl up in shock. She moaned against the onslaught of unknown feelings, arms wrapped around her stomach in what felt like pain.

"Natsu?" Itachi knew what was happening to her but he also knew that she did not.

"Kit?" Kakashi asked the young woman who was to be his mate as they approached her, both dripping wet.

"'Kashi, 'Tachi," she moaned gutturally, the sound sending blood rushing south as a wave of pheromones released from her body. She writhed on the ground, hands seeking for purchase as her temperature raised above what her body could handle. Naru could feel a burning ache within her loins begging to be stoked by the two men now sitting on either side of her. _"Please."_ cerulean eyes flashed open as she begged, capturing both Itachi's and Kakashi's gazes until her back arched as another wave of heat flashed through her, eyes rolling back into her head while she gasped and panted. The next few moments were a blur of movement as she was carried back into the cabin and brought to the bedroom by one of her teammates. Naru didn't know what was happening to her but all she knew was that she needed them and she needed them now!

XoxoxoX

"' _Kashi, I need you!"_ Natsu moaned as she continued to writhe on the bed. He and Itachi were standing just at the foot of the bed watching the blonde search for them with her eyes closed.

"' _Tachi please."_ that was as far as their restraint could go. The way she was moving on the large bed, her breathy voice as she begged for their touch and the lust and love that they had been trying to repress for a while all became their undoing. Both their trunks were removed in the next instant and then they were on either side of Naru on the bed, hands exploring her tanned skin, soft and yet scarred from battle. She calmed slightly with their touch but she continued to moan and gasp at the heat enveloping her body. _"Onegai!"_ she begged once more and Kakashi's tenuous hold on his lust snapped. He growled deeply as he leaned in to capture her lips in a fiery kiss, Itachi making way for him by settling his own lips on the Kyuubi container's neck. Itachi's lips trailed lower, nipping and sucking on her skin as he removed her bra. Kakashi's large hand immediately grasped onto her soft mound leaving the blonde arching off the bed as her other mate continued on his journey south.

"Natsu," Kakashi whispered against her soft skin then took a hardened rosebud into his mouth. Slender fingers entangled in silver locks as he suckled on her breast while he teased its twin with his hand.

" _Ah! 'Kashi!"_ Itachi spread her legs open and watched as the wet patch on her underwear grew with their eldest mate's ministrations. Unable to help himself, he leaned in closer to take in her scent the tip of his nose bumping against her swollen clit. Her arousal made his head spin, the musky smell emanating from her core making his mouth water. He removed the final barrier that prevented him from tasting her and immediately buried his face in between her legs. _"'Tachi!"_ even in the midst of her heat, she was still able to discern each of their touch and both men strove to make her lose all coherent thoughts with their ministrations. He sucked her clit into his mouth, his tongue flicking against the hardened nub as he inserted a finger into her waiting heat. He moaned at the tightness wrapped around his finger and she screamed as she reached her first climax of the night. _"Onegai!"_ Natsu begged though she was still shaking from her release. _"I need you both inside me."_ Kakashi once again growled at her request before both men moved to do as she asked.

XoxoxoX

Natsu moaned deeply at the feel of her sore body. Her muscles were taut, as if she's been practicing her katas for too long and she groaned at the ache she could feel all over when she tried to stretch. There was an answering groan from behind her and she froze as an arm pulled her closer to the bare hard body of the man behind her.

"Ohayou!" Kakashi strolled into the bedroom carrying a tray of food and Naru looked up in confusion.

"Ohayou," Itachi's sleep logged voice spoke from behind her.

"Ano, what's going on?"

"You don't remember?" Itachi's husky voice sent shivers through her even as his large hand splayed on her stomach, his thumbs running slow, lazy circles on her skin. His touch was like a reminder of the past... However many days that they've been discovering their passion.

"Oh." it was intended as a sound of recognition but it turned into a moan of pleasure. Heat flared through her at the memories of the scorching touches and the kisses that made her toes curl. She closed her eyes against the onslaught and moaned once again.

"Itachi-kun, stop teasing her. We need to get some food in our systems before we continue." the raven haired man stopped his ministrations, earning him a disappointed whimper from the blonde. He chuckled as he propped them both up on the headboard, unmindful of their bareness.

"What happened?" Naru asked once the silver-haired ANBU captain settled the tray on top of her covered legs.

"Eat first, we'll talk later." Kakashi settled on her other side and kissed her forehead. She smiled brightly at the gesture then turned to Itachi.

"Come on Itachi-kun, let's eat the breakfast Kashi-kun made." Itachi smiled, his almost non-existent smile and then kissed her softly on the lips before tucking into the food. They settled to eat in silence, exchanging small kisses and bright smiles throughout the whole affair. It took them a while to polish off everything but with the amount of energy they had all expended in the last few days, they were able to finish eating the food Kakashi cooked.

"So, tell me what happened?" Naru mumbled sleepily. She was full and sated and felt very comfortable laying on the center of the bed surrounded by strong arms and the scent of the two men she held close to her heart but despite all of that she still felt confused. She didn't know when their relationship had changed and what happened for them to cross this particular boundary and she didn't know how she felt about all of it at the moment, only that she was very comfortable and it felt right.

"You went into heat." Kakashi said in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Nani?!" she straightened up in their arms at the news. "I wasn't supposed to go into heat until my birthday. That's still two weeks away."

"We spoke to Kyuubi."

"What did it tell you?"

"You're a strong woman Kit," Kakashi whispered into her ear. "On your own, you would've attracted a lot of males when you went into heat but with the Kyuubi sealed in you, that percentage practically tripled in number. It also told us that you already chose your mates subconsciously."

"Really?"

"Kyuubi also stated that if you were to be mated before your birthday, the release of your pheromones would lessen significantly."

"So you and Kashi just volunteered to be the ones to claim me, is that it?" she rolled over to face Itachi and lay her head on his chest.

"Not really." Kakashi spooned her from behind and dropped a soft kiss on her bare shoulder. He trailed his lips onto the junction between her neck and shoulders and nibbled on a mark that she had not known was there.

"We did not have a choice on the matter." Itachi told her as he leaned his forehead against hers.

"Oh," her voice sounded disappointed and both men smirked at each other.

"Partly because we were running mostly by instinct." Kakashi whispered against her neck, continuing to nibble on her skin making her moan.

"But mostly because we did not want a choice." Itachi whispered against her lips, leaning in closer to tease her with his soft movements.

"W-w-w-hat," she took a deep breath to steady herself against the onslaught of feelings they brought out upon her. "Do you mean?"

"Aishiteru Natsu-chan," Itachi finally said. "I've loved you for a while now. It's why I didn't want to tell you about my relationship with Kakashi."

"It's okay 'Tachi. I understand." the raven-haired man rolled her over to face Kakashi.

"'Kashi?"

"Aishiteru Kit." he kissed her softly as Itachi came close to her back.

"You do?" she was unable to believe that it was happening but at the same time there was also no other reason behind all of it. She then recalled all the protective gestures, the glares other men received when they looked at her in any other way other than innocent, her own jealousy and possessiveness when they were hounded by their many fan girls and the anger that they both had on the night of Kakashi's birthday party when Genma hit on her. It even explained why she wanted to please them both at the same time, her submissiveness towards both men when it came to other aspects of their relationship - taking care of Sasuke, making sure that they were both happy even with the absence of the other and automatically making their home ready for them if both of them were out on a case and she was home. Even on missions, she was the one who was the most protective of them both when they were being the stupid men that they could sometimes be. She already had the maternal role in their little family it was only natural for it to fall into this relationship.

"Ne, tou-chan didn't send us on a vacation did he?"

"No," Kakashi shook his head. "What do you think would have happened if one of his three best ANBU went into heat in the middle of the village? One who is apparently mated to his other two best ANBU not to mention his own daughter." she giggled softly at his assessment then smiled.

"Ne Kashi?"

"Yeah?"

"Aishiteru." she smiled beatifically at him then once more turned to face Itachi. "I love you too 'Tachi-kun." she sighed deeply as her exhaustion began to creep on her. "How long have we been here?" she murmured sleepily.

"Three days."

"Oh." she whispered but she was already half-asleep. Itachi smiled indulgently at her and looked up to find Kakashi staring at them fondly. The silver-haired man leaned over him her to kiss him softly on the lips then pulled back.

"Aishiteru 'Tachi."

"Aishiteru Kashi-kun." he closed his eyes and let himself fall asleep knowing that Kakashi was there to watch over them as they rested. Kakashi smiled at the younger man and sighed as he watched both his mates slept. For the first time in six years, since Obito and Rin died, he felt content. He was happy with his life and now he was mated to the two people he loved the most. He didn't think he could ever feel as good as he did now since his father killed himself and since his team died but Natsu and Itachi disproved that. He now had a future to look up to unlike the past that haunted him. From now on he wouldn't look back over his shoulder, instead he would look forward to what the future would bring to him, after all he had a family to take care of now.

* * *

 **So, what did you think?**

 **Read and Review if you please.**

 **aLy0:)**


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